Bottle closure



Dec. 30, 1941. c; J. JESNIG BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 9, 1937 INVENTOR J'Jis/v/a,

Patented Dec. 30, 1941 BOTTLE CLOSURE.

Charles J. Jesnig, Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to Positive Seal Closure Company, l hiladelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,015

3 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle closures and particularly to closures of the .so-called non-reflllable type.

It is among the objects of this invention: to improve the art of bottle closures; to provide a bottle closure of extremely low cost; to provide a new and improved compound valve'for bottle closures; to provide a bottle closure of parts so formed and shaped as to be susceptible to cheap and in the main automatic manufacture is from clays or other ceramics; to provide. a bottle closure which is tamperproof and substantially immune to unauthorized refilling by any recognized and known method, including pumping or horizontal reciprocation of the liquid or the bottle in the liquid, or the gentle pouring of liquid through a large hose surrounding the closure while the bottle is inclined upon its side; to improve the closures shown in Patent 2,078,251 and Applications 132,908, 142,976 and 153,877; to provide a compound valve construction arranged for axial alignment or misalignment to furnish a positive stop to unseating valve movements; to provide a bottle closure which is substantially non-refillable but whichhas an excellent rate of pour for the egress of its properly contained fluid; to provide an improved wedge for valves in bottle closures which form a positive lock against pressure actuated valve movements, but which unlocks by gravity alone if no pumping of the valve has occurred; to provide a bottle closure which closes and wedges closed against any normal opening after efforts to force liquid against the valve by pumping; and many other objects and advantages as will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig; 1 represents a fragmentary vertical section through an assembled bottle closure and bottle neck in inverted position showing the aligned parts in pouring position,

Fig. 2 represents a similar section in an inclined locked valve closed position,

Fig. 3 represents a plan of the Wire guard of the invention, shown in the neck of the bottle with the-latter in section.

Fig. 4 represents a perspective of the preferred form of weight, and

Fig. 5 represents a diagrammatic elevation of the Weight and a fragment of the valve on an enlarged scale showing the action of the weight in its arcuate movement relative to the generally axially tapered valve end'.

The bottle neck [0 has a peripheral clinching groove H, spaced from the rim l2, or any other desired form of anchoring element may be used.

The closure for the bottle neck, to be described, is preferably assembled as a unit and attached subsequently to the filling of the bottle. It will be obvious that the components of the closure could be assembled in detached independent parts if for any reason this should be, desired. As shown in Fig. l the closure and bottle neck end are, assembled together with a cork or other suitable sealing washer l3 imposed upon the rim i2 of the bottle as the sealing medium between the closure assembly and the bottle. Mounted upon the Washer I3 is the outturned flange M of the substantially cylindrical valve housing 2%, having the inturned valve seat flange l6 substantially concentric of the bottle. The flange It has a concen ric port [9. The Valve housing is preferably a molded unit or element, and may be made from'a plastic, such as one that is impervious and immune to alcohol and the like, or may be and is preferably a ceramic material, and the upper surface ll of the valve seat flange l6 may be glazed if desired.

Upon a secondary sealing washer of cork or the like l8 mountedon the upper surface of the flange I4, is the generally conical hollow tapering pouring'spout 28, having the lower edge surface 2! abutting the cork washer, and possessing the internal curved convergent surface 22, and the pouring orifice or mouth 23. The inner surface 22 of the upper closure member or pouring spout 28 may be provided with a plurality of internal bosses 24 each having preferably a surface to engage the upper surface of a wire guard to be described, above the level of the surface 2| to provide pouring clearance, although the bosses 24, as shown, are illustratively disposed on one surface of the wire guard 25.

Cooperating with the upper member in cost and operation and assembly is the wire guard 25 for the assembly, comprising a disc which may be planar, but which is preferably provided with a small axial protuberance 26 or be given a slight arch in order that'no liquid remains on top of the disc after pouring has stopped and to form a support for the weight to be described, to prevent capillarity. The transverse plate or disc is provided with any desired centering and spacing means so as to support the disc in predetermined relation to the other fixed parts of the assembly while still providing pouring passages 30 beside it. Illustratively the disc legs 24 extend radially to engage the inner surface 22. The valve side of the guarding disc has a plurality of legs 28 seated upon the axial extension 21 of the valve housing. The disc is formed with a preferably discontinuous annular flange or ring 29 having slightly tapering internal wall surfaces 39 formed by the legs 28 or otherwise and forms a fulcrum for the weighted stop to be described. The recess formed of the wall and base forms a seat for the stop or weight, to be described, which is normally cocked eccentrically of the stop or bump 26 and is in contact with the flange or ring or its component legs at all times substantially.

The valve 32 of the invention is made substantially in accordance with the disclosures of the earlier cited cases, at least superficially, and has preferably a square or other polygonal contour to form a guide in the valve housing by the meeting edges of the plane faces 34, meeting in chamfered corners 33, forming channels 35 in the housing l5. The valve is preferably formed of a plastic or other material which is relatively light in weight such for instance as lucite, and has a closed end 38 which is slightly axial- 1y inclined or generally symmetrically tapered about an obtuseaxially concentric point 3| by a surface 40. The valve is internally bored at 31. If desired a cork plug 4| or the like fills the bore 31 leaving the suction cup sleeve extension 42. The valve floats easily, is of slight mass so as to have small inertia, is axially guided in the housing by the edges 33 and seats upon surface ll of the seat I6.

A weighted stop or emergency gravity lock 43 is provided having a relatively broad base 44, the periphery of which functions in engagement with ring 29 or legs 28 as a pivot for the weight,

and a substantially plane tip the periphery of which engages the valve end 38 in the arcuate movement of the weight to be described. The main body preferably tapers as shown and may be solid or hollow or otherwise formed or shaped. The flared base 44 seats within the recess in the wire guard disc on the hump 26 to prevent or nullify capillarity between the parts, and is capable of swinging laterally with the edge of base 44 engaging the wall 29 at 41 as a fuli crum, until the tip 45 moves transversely across the surface 38 of the valve describing an are about the pivot point on the wall 29 with the pivot of the arc eccentric to the axis of the assembly. The weight and valve and valve housing are all so proportioned that when the valve is seated the arc of movement of the tip end of the weighted stop intersects the valve surface 40 off from the axial center a slight distance as indicated at 48, as the only other support for the weight in addition to the fulcrum 41. At this selected point, which will change according to special desires in any given case, although the alignment of tip and fulcrum is not very complete so that pressure axially upon the valve off from its seat exerts pressure on the tip out of direct alignment with the fulcrum of the weight, yet owing to the inclination of the valve end wall surface 40, the tip cannot retrace its arc without cutting through the end wall 38 of the corrosive metals and the like, if the use of such metals is not prohibited by the industry using the closure, or, and this is preferred, the lock 43 is made of ceramics, such as weighted porcelain and the like.

With the bottle in an upright non-pouring position the valve falls shut and the gravity weight falls down on it resting on the end 45 as with the enlarged base 44 heldwithin the confines of the wall 29. Any attempt to pump the illicit liquid into the bottles causes the weight to wedge the valve closed.

When the bottle is inclined from the closed upright position to the pouring attitude, the weight 43 swings" about the fulcrum 41 and seats the base 44 in the recess in the disc 26 within the wall 29, simultaneously the tip 45 will have traced a return are across the face of the valve, permitting the valve to fall open upon the tip end of the weight. It is a feature of the invention that owing to the greater distance between the edge of base 44 and the diametrically opposite point on the edge of the periphery of plane tip 45, and any otherpoint on the base 44 and the tip 45, which is substantially the distance between the disc surface containing fulcrum point 41 and the valve, that when the weight moves laterally on the fulcrum 4'! the wedge becomes in effect elongated, so that the valve is moved further from the fulcrum plane, into sealing engagement with the valve seat. The weight preferably has no shoulder orother surface to engage against the side of the valve housing to limit the arcuate sweep of the weight, as such stop militates against actual wedging, v

The entire assembly is secured to-the bottle by any desired means, such as the metal sleeve 50, as is shown in said earlier applications.

It will be; understoodthat the difference between the altitude of the weighted lock on its base, and its length when resting upon the edge of the base, represents the diiferencebetween the open and closedposition of the valve. Preferably the fulcrum point 41 which obviously is eccentric to the axis of the valve and housing. is inwardly disposed relative'to the valve housing surface. v H

It is observed that the intersection of thearc of movement of the end surface edge 45 with the surface 40 of the valve is a cutting of the; face and not a tangential engagement so that the weight under; gravity tendsto drop further but is held suspendedbetwen the fulcrum 4 1 and the contact point 3!! with the valveheld shut. The fact that the valve 32 has no appreciable movement other than axial assists" in securing a wedging action that can only be disturbed'by the righting of the bottle so that gravity causes it to withdraw from-wedging relation. Axial pressure on the valve,as from intermittentpumping of positive and negative-pressure thereon, simply digs the edge of surface 45 ;of the weight into the surface "40 of the valve; ifqmade of material susceptibleto 'such impression. Tlriat is, the weight turning componentof unseating valve pressure is absorbed-by the inclined aurface of the valveend with which the path of arcuate weight movement intersects, and} may so wedge the weight that it cannot retum to its normal unwedged position and permit opening of the'valve. As this is an abnormal and improper manipulation effort it works no hardship on the legitimate user. I s i A final advantage shouldbe noted in that the weight impinges against the valve notquite but practically centrally so that the closing pressure is substantially even on all portions of the valve. This is in marked contrast to other weighted devices which impinge against the valves close to one side to permit rocking of the valve to move the far side away from its seat.

It may be noted that I am familiar with the subject matter of Patents Nos. 573,301, 599,185, 630,929, 726,223, 792,388, 1,032,915, 1,098,166 and 2,048,699, and do not claim their inventions, as each is lacking in one or more of the essentials rendering this present invention of such importance.

I claim as my invention:

1. In bottle closures a valve having a tapered end, a valve seat, a Weight, means about which the weight may substantially pivot to secure substantially arcuate movement of the weight against the valve end to seat said valve relative to said valve seat under the action of gravity with the weight engaging the tapered end close to but beyond the axial center thereof in the line of arcuate weight movement and in free suspension between the point of contact with the valve end and the point of contact with said means.

2. In a non-refillable closure assembly, a movable valve having an outwardly axially substan tially convergent surface, a valve seat, supporting means, a weight having a surface arranged to function as a pivot for the Weight on the supporting means with the pivot eccentric to the axis of the assembly, said weight arranged to move substantially arcuately on said pivot into engagement with the said valve surface, the weight and valve being so constructed and arranged that with the valve engaging the seat a surface of the Weight spaced from the pivot passes beyond the center of the valve and engages the divergent valve surface eccentric of its center with the weight wedgedly seated and hanging between two spaced points of contact comprised of the pivot and the point of engagement between the said surfaceof the weight and the intersected divergent valve surface Whereby the friction between the weight and valve and the arrangement of the parts is such as to preclude return of the weight to unwedged position in response to unseating axial pressure on the valve.

3. In a non-refillable closure assembly, a valve housing, an axially slidable valve in the housing having an outwardly extending obtusely substantially tapered axially symmetrical surface, a weight arranged to swing on an axis eccentric to the axis of the valve and assembly to arrested engagement against said surface at a point beyond the axial center in the substantially arcuate path of movement of said weight when the valve has moved to seating, with the only points of support for said weight being said pivot and said point of engagement when the weight has gravitationally swung toward valve closing, the said arcuate path intersecting and passing through the tapered surface of said seated valve longitudinally behind the apex of said taper so that the weight swinging component of unseating force on said valve is counteracted by the friction of the tapered surface engagement and is hence unable to dislodge said Weight, and said point of path intersection being close enough to the axial center of the valve as to exert substantially even closing force on said valve.

CHARLES J. JESNIG. 

